Library Card Sign-up Month on September, 2019: up Month - Can I sign up for a library card for my 8 month old or is it too early?Whats the earliest?

Depends on the library. A 8 month old really doesn't need a card till they are older. I just check books out under my sons name. I think at my library the child has to be in school.

Library Card PIN Number?

Sometimes libraries use a standard PIN# for every card holder until the person opts to change it to something private. This could be the last four numbers of your phone number (the number you had when you signed up for the library card). Another possibility is the month and day of your birth (eg. 0801 for August 1st).

If your library or state offers a 24/7 library chat service, you might be able to contact a librarian who can check on your local library policies. The librarian you chat with is not likely to be local, but if your local library provides this information on their policies page it might help them to help you.

Examples of chat services:

Have fun with your new e-reader or tablet! I currently use my laptop to check out library ebooks on Overdrive, but look forward to owning a Kindle one day soon!

What are some opinions on pre-paid visa cards?

Pre-paid cards are more about convenience than anything else. I guess they'd be useful if you didn't want to carry lots of cash or if you needed to pay via plastic and didn't have a regular credit or debit card.

There are fees associated with them -- one when you first get the card and put money on it, one when you "re-load" it with money, one if you don't use the card for a certain period of time (usually at least 6 months) known as an "inactivity" fee, one if you use an ATM that is not in the issuer's network, etc. Sometimes you even have to pay a fee if you use an ATM that is in the network. Be sure to read the fine print so you know what fees you will or could be charged.

Unfortunately, this type of card will not help you build your credit. You'd be better off getting a regular credit card with a low limit. Once you use it and pay it off for a while, the credit card company will usually increase your limit. This will help you build good credit.

Good luck!

P.S. Yes, there is a difference between pre-paid and secured credit cards. There was an article in the Wall Street Journal on 9/12/07 about building credit for young people that might be of interest to you. I think you might have to sign up for a free trial subscription in order to read the article. If you go to your library to see the hard copy of the paper, the article is in section D (Personal Journal) on the first page.